Strong at 90, Craig Continues to Work
Photo by Keith Stewart
Paul Craig, who recently turned 90, is still as active as ever and in his 37th year at Atchison Electric in Sullivan.
January 14, 2015
‘Short’ still stocks inventory at Atchison
by Joash Tiarks
Reporting in Sullivan
Of the many employees Dick Atchison has working for him at Atchison Electric, one stands out far above the rest, and it is not because of his height. In fact, Paul Craig’s nickname is ‘Short’ and has been for as long as he can remember, and that memory stretches back to the 1920’s.
“I don’t know nothin’, but I got two hands,” Short said as he approached Dick back in 1978. Having worked for the city electric department for the previous 10 years, he was ready for a change, and Dick gave him that opportunity. Thirty-seven years on he is still going strong and, having recently celebrated his 90th birthday, still works 8.5 hours a day four days a week with no plans to stop anytime soon.
“I just love what I do,” he declared.
Born in 1924, Short has lived in the Sullivan area for as long as he can remember, growing up in a tenant house on a farm about a mile from town. He and his younger sister are now the only ones left of nine siblings, four brothers and three sisters having already passed away, all older than he.